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True Italian Spirit: Recipes

Silvia Creminelli shared her Italian-style holiday feast with us for our November/December 2013 issue. You can read the article by clicking here. Below are the recipes from the story.

Involtini di Pollo con Prosciutto Crudo in Salsa di Alloro

HAM & PISTACHIO TERRINE (TERRINA DI PROSCIUTTO COTTO E PISTACCHI)

Enough for 12–15 as an appetizer

Terrines are a sophisticated addition to a menu and don’t need to be complicated. Make this a couple of days in advance for ease but also to let the flavors settle together. Serve slightly chilled with a glass of bubbly Prosecco.

1 ½ pounds Creminelli Prosciutto Cotto (cooked ham), cut into cubes

1 cup butter, softened

Brandy to taste

White pepper to taste

¼ cup pistachios, finely chopped

Salt

Croutons to taste

Chop the ham in the food processor. Save ½ cup of the butter. Blend remaining butter, brandy, white pepper and blend again until creamy and smooth. If it’s not creamy enough, blend with more softened butter. Taste to see if you need some more white pepper or brandy. Line a loaf pan with plastic wrap. Fill the loaf pan with the ham mixture.

Stir together the ground pistachios and the remaining softened butter until the butter becomes a beautiful light green color. Spread this mixture over the ham terrine, making sure to cover the entire surface. Fold over the plastic wrap flaps over the terrine. Use another sheet of plastic wrap to completely cover the terrine, if necessary. Chill for at least three hours or overnight.

To serve, remove the plastic-lined pate from the pan and invert onto a serving dish. Serve with sliced bread. Keep leftovers covered in plastic and eat within three days.

RISOTTO ALLA BIRRA MORTADELLA E MASCARPONE

Serves 4

This is an extremely easy and flavorful risotto to prepare in colder weather. Beer in the rice gives the dish a full-bodied flavor balanced out with the unexpected additions of ginger, lemon zest, and rosemary – an echo of Italy’s fortunes built on the spice trade. It’s also a great way to use mortadella – the grandfather of the much-maligned bologna in a sophisticated way.

2 Tbsps. butter

½ yellow onion, peeled and minced

2 cups Arborio or Carnaroli rice

½ cup beer such as a pale ale or lager (nothing hoppy or dark!)

5 cups beef broth

Zest of 1 lemon

1 Tbsp. chopped fresh rosemary

1 tsp. dried ginger

¼ cup grated Parmigiano-Reggiano

½ cup mascarpone cheese

3 ounces Creminelli Mortadella, julienned

Bring the broth to a low simmer in a large pot.

In a saucepan, melt the butter and saute the onion over low heat, just to soften and release the flavors. Do not let brown. Add the rice and toast it for one minute, stirring constantly. Add the beer and let it evaporate, stirring the rice as it does.

Add one ladle of hot broth and bring the rice to a simmer over medium heat, stirring as you go. Add a ladleful of hot broth as the rice soaks it up, stirring occasionally. Cook for about 15-20 minutes or until “al dente,” where the rice is soft but still has a slightly firm texture in the middle. Add the lemon zest, rosemary, and ginger.

Remove from the heat and stir in Parmigiano-Reggiano and mascarpone cheese. Serve immediately, garnished with julienned mortadella slices.

INVOLTINI OF CHICKEN & PROSCIUTTO WITH BAY LEAVES SAUCE

Serves 4

8 thin slices of Prosciutto Creminelli

8 veal cutlets OR chicken breasts(about 3-4 ounces each)

salt and pepper

2 Tbsps. butter, melted

4 Tbsps. olive oil

8 sprigs of rosemary

6 fresh bay leaves

1 cup white wine

1 shallot, peeled and minced

1 clove of garlic

4 sprigs flat leaf/Italian parsley

1/2 Tbsp. of flour

Lay the prosciutto flat on a work surface and place one cutlet onto the prosciutto. Season with salt and pepper and roll into little bundles, fastening it with a toothpick. Melt 1 Tbsp. butter and 1 Tbsp. olive oil together in a large sautepan over medium high heat. Add the rosemary to flavor the oil. Lightly brown all sides of prosciutto wrapped chicken. Add ½ cup white wine and let it simmer until the wine evaporates. Cover and lower heat to medium.

In a separate pan, melt together remaining butter with olive oil. Add the shallot, garlic, parsley, and bay leaf. Cook until the shallot is tender. Add the flour to the wine and stir. Add this to the pan and stir to combine completely. Stir and cook for a couple of minutes.

To serve, sauce the bottom of the serving dish with the thickened shallot sauce. Place the prosciutto chicken rolls over the top and serve warm.

PANNA COTTA WITH BERRIES

Serves 4

This recipe can be easily multiplied for larger groups and is ideal for parties since it can be made well in advance and served when ready.

1 sheet leaf gelatin OR ½ Tbsp. powdered gelatin

1 ¼ cup milk

1 cup heavy cream

3 ½ Tbsps. sugar

To garnish:

1 pint berries

¼ cup + 2 Tbsps. of sugar

Soak the leaf gelatin in cold water the gelatin for 10 minutes, or until completely soft. If working with powdered, sprinkle the gelatin over ¼ cup of cold water and stir to dissolve. Let stand. In a medium saucepan, combine the milk, cream, sugar, and gelatin over a medium low heat. Stirring occasionally to dissolve the sugar and gelatin.

Remove the pan from the heat and place the mixture into individual ramekins/molds. Let cool and then chill in the refrigerator for a few hours.

For the berries: combine the berries and sugar in a small pan. Gently heat over a low to medium low flame until the sugar is melted. Let it cool.

When serving, you can keep the panna cotta in the individual molds with the sauce spooned over top. Or you can loosen the panna cotta by running a paring knife around the edge and then dipping the molds into hot water. Inverse the panna cota onto the plate. Spoon with sauce.